Lead casting machine



Aplll 21, 1953 E. s. MORGAN 2,635,310

I LEAD CASTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR. Ernesf 5. Morgan ATTORNEY April 1, 1953 E. s. MORGAN 2,635,310

LEAD CASTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY April 21, 1953 E. s. MORGAN 2,635,310

LEAD CASTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. Ernesf 5. M rgan ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 21, 1 953 ii UNITED STATES PATENT O LEAD CASTING MACHINE Ernest S. Morgan, El Cerrito, Calif.

Application November 16, 1950, Serial No. 195,997

6 Claims. (CI. 22-77) The present invention relates to improvements in alead casting machine and has particular reference to a machine for casting battery posts and straps, although the principles involved may be applied to the casting of various other relatively small parts.

In casting the parts designated it is customary to provide mold blocks with fiat top faces and suitable depressions corresponding in shape to the desired castings and to provide gate blocks adapted for superimposing on the mold blocks and having a pouring basin and pouring holes, through which-the molten lead is poured into the mold depressions or cavities. The gate is then moved with respect to the mold to shear the metal at the top surface, and subsequently the castings are removed from the mold manually, while the surplus material clinging to the gate is shaken out of the latter by manual operation.

In the present invention is is proposed to provide a machine which performs all of these operations automatica1ly,.the mold and the gate being moved in circular courses on spaced verticalaxes, in intermittent movements, to pass through various stations, being made to register at one of the stations for the pouring of the lead, and then proceeding individually to different stations for the removal of the finished casting from the mold and for the removal of the surplus material from the gate.

It is further proposed to arrange the molds and the gates in. corresponding multiples in the form of turrets, whereby a large number of castings may be carried out in quick succession.

It is further contemplated to provide means for effecting a quick relative movement between the gate and the mold after the pouring operation to shear the metal at the top plane of the mold.

It is further proposed in the present invention to. mount the gate with freedom of swinging movement on a vertical plane and to provide suitable guide means whereby the gate is moved to horizontal position as it approaches the pouring station for registry with the mold, and is moved to avertical position as it approaches another station where means are provided for ejecting surplus material from the gate.

It is a further object of the invention to providea novel ejecting mechanism for cleaning the gates of the surplus material.

It is further proposed to provide, at a station spaced from the pouring station; a novel means for removing thecastingsfrom the molds, which, includes means, where battery posts are conand for releasing the gripping means whereby the posts are dropped outside of the machine.

It is further proposed to provide a novel means for automatically removing strap castings from the mold which include means for freeing the straps from the mold and for sweeping the free straps from the surface of the mold.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features of my invention will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a plan view of my machine, with the parts in position for pouring,

Figure 2, a side view, partly in section, of the machine, with the parts in the same position as in Figure 1, and

Figure 3, a view similar to that of Figure 2, with the parts in shearing and casting lifting position.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims attached hereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my machine comprises in its principal features two revolvable assemblies or turrets I and 2 carrying the molds 3 and the gates 4 respectively and mounted on spaced vertical shafts 5 and 6 respectively, means for intermittently revolving the turrets in opposite directions with intervening periods of rest at designated stations, means at one station 1' for bringing companion molds and as having four molds evenly distributed onthefirst turret and four gates evenly distributed on the other turret, but it is apparent that the num- Y ber of molds and gates may be changed, as long asthey are arranged symmetrically around the turrets and positioned for proper overlapping at the pourin station 1 at designated times; ;Fo r,1the purpose of the description it is suf- P ficient to refer to the operation of a single mold and its companion gate, since the other molds and. gates follow the same course. It should be noted, however, that for convenience in operation in the factory some of the molds may be used for casting battery posts and others for casting battery straps which call for a slightly different arrangement.

The turret l is in the form of a disc I!) having four molds 3 projecting radially therefrom in evenly spaced relation. "Each mold is secured upon the'rim of the disc by a projecting flange 8 l and bolts 12. Each mold is in the form of a rectangular block having a flat, horizontal top face and having a plurality of depressions or cavities l3 in the upper face, the cavities being shaped to correspond to the shape of the post head to be molded and having downward projecting ports or passages Hi extending to the bottom of the mold block, the diameter of each passage corresponding to that of the post shank. A shown in the presentinstance, each :mold has six cavities, arranged; in two paralel rows'of three each. The bottom. end of each passage is closed by a piunger 1-5.

The turret 2; is also in the form of a disc l5 having; four evenly distributed gates ll pivoted thereto for swinging motion in vertical planes and for. sliding motion in said planes. For mounting the gates I provide four small blocks l6, bolted upqntheqr mqofth ismeach carr g a a i l y -rhd; H' a ihaa ew ck 18 m unt d thereon, with' a spring 1,9- braced against thefirst 09 9 and head. at he; ne n o the serving to; normally hold the second block. against; the first block as; inlEigure 2 but with freedom of ontward movement into the. position shown in Figure-3,.

The gate 4 is; pivoted tothe second block I58 as at 2!, with freedom of swinging motion in an axial plane and comprisesa rectangular block havingI-a fiat bottom face adapted to overlie thetop face of the mold, when the gate and the mold are made to register as atstat-ion- 'I and is formed, its; upper-face, with a pouring basin 22- and downwardly extending ports 23 made to alinewith; the cavitiesin the mold when thegate and the oldre hrhs oh s s r- When ftheniololv and the gate-are in this Desi; tion, at the station'l,.mOltenQlead maybe poured t si 2 i fi whr u h. he. h rt lt. into the mold cavities, sufficient lead being usually poured to allow an. excess to. remain in the ports andppssibly in the bottom of the basin 2 2 To insurea clean. cut of the. metal at the upper face; of the mold, I provide means operative while the turrets remain in their positions, to slide the gate 4 outward for shearing action, this being accom; plishedby means of a finger 24 pivoted as at 2 5 andactuated, by any suitable means, for momene tarily forcing the gate outward, the spring L9 returning the gate as soon as the pressure of the finger 24 ceases;

After the shearing operation, the revolving movement ofthe two turrets continues, turret 2 rotating clockwise and turret l, rotating anticlockwise. The gate'under discussion, after pass ing tl'ironghastat'ion 90 degreesfrom the pouring station, reaches the station '8 opposite the latter station. Dllring'this' travel the gate is.

' made to gradually drop from the horizontal'posirtionit occupied at the pouring to a suspended vertical-position. At the "beginning of the rotary movement the gate isstill supportedby the mold,

but when these two elements. lose contact, the

. upporti taken overby a cam trhckii fihe'g'ate ere rom, he a m bein i o d n. hee

having a roller 21 adapted to ride on the track, and the latter being formed to gradually lower the outer end of the gate until the latter reaches a fully suspended vertical position as shown at the extreme right in Figures 2 and 3. A stop 28 may be provided for the roller 27 to catch behind so as to keep the gate from swinging outward during the ejecting operation.

When the gate, with its adhering surplusmaterial, reaches the vertical position, it comes; opposite a bracket 29 having a number of" push rods 36 slidable thereon, the push rods being mounted to-line up with the ports in the gate and being normally retracted by springs 3! bearing on the bracket and on a plate 32 carried by the push rods. A forked member 33, made to straddle a portion ofthe supporting column 34 for the turret is fixed with respect to the plate 32 and carries. at its. inner end, a plate 35 which is acted on by a roller 35 on a swinging arm 37 to push the plate 32 and h v hus 15: 39 utward 'zer thehh h ds to e t the pa s. he a e an a e the lead adheringtothelatter.

U on. heh i atich of the ewir n mgr ment:

The means for removing thefinished, castings;

comprisesan understructure 4}]..designed to partly. lift the castings so asto bring th head and part of the shanks of 'the battery posts abovethesur -i face of the mold, and, a superstructure 4.], whiph grips the shanks underneath the heads, clears h en i r qs of the moldandthehm r s hh posts sidewise toa point outsidejtl ie.machine.for

final" discharge,

The understructure 4'53 comprisesa plate 42 car;

d y eplu ee elow hem l and ok al r ed d wa d. by p ings 43 ,Wh new mally serve to hold theplungersf'injproper peel-.- h to m e h or s he proper/ ng h r. charging. The plate. izhasa stem 44' project'ng downward therefrom, andwhenv the mold comes to rest at the station 9-, this stem is disposedahove,

a plunger 45 whichlatter is madeto rise,:intimed' relation to the arrivalof the moldtolift thestem 44' and the plungers l5 sufficiently far to on se.

the heads of the posts and;portionsfofthefshanks to project above the surfaceorthe mold,

The superstructure 4! comprises a sleeve 45, slidable and revolvable on a fixed verticalshaft d1, an arm d8 projecting from the sleeve and an open-ended box 49 mounted upon the end of- 'the arm, the box being movable from a position verti-callyover the mold'to a sidewise'positionaway fromthe mold.

Themolds; have been shown as containing two linesof posts, eachline comprising-three. The

box is equipped: with means "for gripping both lines-at the same time but, for the time being,

I will confine myself to the gripping means for one line of posts. This gripping means comprises two gripping rods 5Q mountedjinjthe 6 1.

walls of the box, near thebottomthereof and, withfreedom of slidingmotion. in slpts.'5l,, Qppq t s o a h.. d..have, arms. 52 pro e ting.

at oneend of the box are extended to project above the box as at 54. i

Spring means, indicated at 55, tend to draw the two gripping rods toward one another, and the gripping rods may be held apart, against the spring action, by means of a locking bar 56, having one end hinged as at 51 and having its free end urged downward by a spring 58, the locking bar having a recess adapted to receive pins 60 projecting from the arms 54 for holding the latter in parallel relation and the gripping rods spaced apart. When the rods are thus spaced apartthey clear the heads of the posts when lowered upon the mold, and when they are released fro m the locking bar, the spring means 55 urges 'the rods upon the post shanks underneath the heads. it r The locking bar 56 is made to release the arms 54 by operation of a push bar 6| operable by a rod 62 projecting upward from the plate 42, to push the free end of the locking bar upward.

In operation, the gripping rods are normally held in spaced apart position, as shown in Figure 2. As the lower structure 40 is raised, the superstructure M is lowered in timed relation, to allow the gripping rods to descend past the post heads. When they reach proper gripping position, the push rod 8 l, actuated by the rod 62, lifts the looking bar 56, allowing the upper ends 54 of the arms to spread and allowing the springs 55 to draw the two gripping rods upon the interposed post shanks, underneath the post heads.

The post shanks of the second line of posts in the mold are gripped similarly by a second pair of gripping rods and supporting arms, which latter are suitably connected to the first pair of supporting arms by links 63.

After the gripping rods have gripped the battery posts, the sleeve 46 with the superstructure is raised, and the superstructure is swung sidewise for discharge of the battery posts into a suitable container.

As the superstructure approaches the end of its outward swing, the upward extensions 54 enter a wedge-shaped member 64, which crowds the upper ends of the arms toward one another, forc-' ing the gripping rods 5E3 apart to release the battery posts and causing the locking bar 56 to reengage the pins fill for looking the arms in parallel position, with the gripping rods 50 ready for another operation.

The member 64 is supported on a fixed arm 65 The drive means for the different parts of the apparatus have not been shown as coming well within ordinary engineering skill. It will be understood that the two turrets are rotated intermittently, at the same speed and in opposite directions, while all the other active members, such as the arm 37, the finger 24, the plunger 45, the sleeve 46 and its arm 48 are actuated by any suitable drive means to become active at the proper times to properlyperform the functions assigned to them.

I claim:

1. In a lead casting machine, a member having a mold with a fiat horizontal top surface mounted thereon and having mold cavities communicating with said surface, a vertical shaft mounted outside the member and having a disc rotatable thereon, a block on the rim of the disc, a rod slidable radially in the block, spring means urging the rod radially inwardly, a second block mounted on the outer end of the rod, a gate secured upon the second block and adapted to overlie the mold, the gate having a fiat bottom sure? face immediately adjacent said top surface and having openings positioned'to register with the cavities and to allow the lead to be poured into the mold cavities, and means bearing on the gate at the time the gate is in operative relationship.

with the mold and operable for pushing thegate outwardly against the spring tension for shear-' block on the rim of the disc, a rod slidable radially in the block, spring means urging the rod radially inwardly, a second block mounted on the outer end of the rod, a gate'secured upon the second block and adapted to overlie the mold, the gate having a fiat bottom surface immediately adjacent said top surface and having openings positioned to register with the cavities and to allow lead to be poured into the mold cavities, and means bearing on the gate at the time the gate is in operative relationship with the mold and operable for pushing the gate outwardly against the spring tension for shearing the lead between the mold and the gate, the shaft being revolvable for carrying the gate away from the mold circumferentially and the gate being hinged to the second block with freedom of downward swinging movement toward vertical position when it leaves the mold.

3. In a lead casting machine, a member having a mold with a flat horizontal top surface mounted thereon and having mold cavities communicating with said surface, a vertical shaft mounted outside the member and having a disc thereon, a block on the rim of the disc, a rod slidable radially in the block, spring means urging the rod radially inwardly, a second block mounted on the outer end of the rod, a gate secured upon the second block and adapted to overlie the mold, the gate having a flat bottom surface immediately adjacent said top surface and having openings positioned to register with the cavities and to allow lead to be poured into the mold cavities, and means bearing on the gate at the time the gate is in operative relationship with the mold and operable for pushing the gate outwardly against the spring tension for shearing the lead between the mold and the gate, the shaft being revolvable for carrying the gate away from the mold circumferentially and the gate being hinged to the second block with freedom of downward swinging movement toward vertical position when it leaves the mold, and the machine having means for locking the gate against swinging movement when it reaches a vertical position.

4. In a lead casting machine, a pair of revolvable discs mounted in horizontally spaced relation for revolvable movement about vertical axes, a mold projecting sidewise from one of the discs and having a fiat horizontal face, a mold gate having a flat bottom face and being hingedly mounted with respect to the other disc for swinging movement in a vertical plane, means for intermittently revolving the discs for moving the mold and the gate circumferentially from station to station operable to bring the gate and the mold into registry at one of the stations, means for swinging the gate into horizontal position as it approaches said station, the gate being mounted at an elevation to overlie the mold at said station for a pouring operation, with the moms-12obottonn face o'fgr-ther gatesin contact with. the .top. face of'the mold; and meansifor moving-thev gateat saifi: station for shearing surplus; metal from the mol'd;

5.. vIna lead-casting-machine;according .tov'claim. L, saidzmemberwcomprisingia reyolvablemsk'.

6;. Ina lead: casting machine according tosclaim 3-, .meansoperalbleon the vertically disposedgate,

for ejecting .surplu fllead therefrom ERNEST MORGAN;

flntelaencosz: Gitedjm the file of this; patenh UNITED- PATENTS Name.v

Nmnbor Date Name. I

Myers Now 11,, .1924 Dodson Apnxz'l', 192.6; Robinson June 22., 1926 Hokin. May 9 19313:

Payne .Augt..t22,, 19.33 Eppensteiner en-ala May 22, 1934; Peirce, July: 1'7 1934; King Oct-3*, i939. Morin Jan. 16,, 1945'- Carpenter- Oct; 4, .1949: Kohl Jan. 8, 1.9.52

FOREIGN PATENTS I Country Date. Germany July 18,1941. 

